8 isle arts groups receive federal grants

Eight local arts organizations will receive a total of $794,800 in grants awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts for fiscal year 2006.

The announcement was made Tuesday. The NEA will award more than $63 million in grants to 970 nonprofit arts organizations nationwide in its second major round of funding for the fiscal year.

The Hawaii recipients are:

Hawaii Opera Theatre: $20,000 to support opera residencies at Oahu elementary schools. An original student-written opera integrating elements of Hawaiian music, language and mythology will be produced and performed by students.

Hawaii Youth Symphony Association: $20,000 to bring students from neighbor islands to Honolulu to rehearse and perform.

Honolulu Symphony Society: $10,000 to support six youth concerts and ensemble performances at 120 Oahu schools.

Honolulu Theatre for Youth (Consortium): $40,000 to support a project for English as a Second Language students to develop original plays based on native oral traditions. The project is designed to increase elementary students' communication skills and understanding of theater.

Kalihi-Palama Culture & Arts Society: $10,000 to support training for neighborhood youth in traditional and contemporary art. Classes include Hawaiian, Okinawan and Filipino dance, Hawaiian music and ceramics.

Maui Community Arts & Cultural Center: $38,000 to support a series of performances and residency activities such as workshops and exhibitions.

Pacific Resources for Education and Learning: $67,900 to support arts education services and technical assistance to arts agencies in American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

State Foundation on Culture and the Arts: $588,900 to support partnership agreement activities.